Friday, September 30, 2011

The Children's Physical Developmental Clinic at Bridgewater State University is proud to announce the first event in their Fall 2011 Guest Lecture Series: "A Journey into the Deaf World" by Ben Jarashow, Assistant Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Mr. Jarashow will present his lecture from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Room 120 of the Marshall Conant Science Building.

All lectures in this series are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit http://www.bridgew.edu/CPDC/guest.cfm .

The Bridgewater Public Library is happy to announce that public libraries in the towns of Attleboro and Pembroke have begun loaning to Bridgewater patrons. This is in addition to East Freetown, Swansea, Norton, Wareham, Bristol Community College and Mass Maritime Academy.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

A new community dance series, featuring a mix of international folk dance and New England squares and contras, is being planned for 2012 in Bridgewater.Sessions will take place every other Friday, beginning on January 6 and continuing through May 4, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., at the Bridgewater Senior Center.Dance leader, Sam Baumgarten, professor emeritus at Bridgewater State University, is offering a free, preview dance on Friday evening, November 4, 7:30-9:00, also at the Bridgewater Senior Center.For more information, call Sam at 508-697-6848 or 774-208-2933

Monday, September 26, 2011

Now Hear This is provided to Around the Common by Roderick Walsh, Bridgewater Director of Veterans Services

At daybreak on 24 October 1944, as Japanese Navy forces were approaching the Philippines from the north and west, Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's Task Group 38.3 was operating more than a hundred miles east of central Luzon. With other elements of Admiral William F. Halsey's Third Fleet, TG38.3 had spent the last several days pounding enemy targets ashore in support of the Leyte invasion operation. This morning Sherman's four carriers, Essex, Lexington, Princeton and Langley, had sent off fighters for self-protection and other planes on search missions. Still more aircraft were on deck, ready for attack missions.

Though the Japanese had sent out many aircraft to strike the Third Fleet, most were shot down or driven away. However one "Judy" dive bomber escaped notice and, at 0938, planted a 250 kilogram bomb on Princeton's flight deck, somewhat aft of amidships. It exploded in the crew's galley after passing through the hangar, in which were parked six TBM bombers, each with full gasoline tanks and a torpedo. In its passage, the bomb struck one of these planes, which was almost immediately ablaze. For some reason, the carrier's firefighting sprinklers did not activate and the entire hangar space was quickly engulfed, while smoke penetrated compartments below. Princeton was still underway, but at 1002 a heavy explosion rocked the after part of the hangar. This blast was followed by three more, which heaved up the flight deck, blew out both aircraft elevators and quickly made much of the ship uninhabitable.

With all but emergency generator power gone, and much of her crew abandoning ship, Princeton now depended on the light cruisers Birmingham and Reno, plus the destroyers Irwin (DD-794) and Morrison (DD-560), to help fight her fires. While alongside, Morrison's superstructure was seriously damaged when she became entangled in Princeton's projecting structures. After more than three hours' work, with the remaining fires almost under control, a report of approaching enemy forces forced the other ships to pull away. By the time they returned Princeton was again burning vigorously, heating a bomb storage space near her after hangar. At 1523, as Birmingham came alongside, these bombs detonated violently, blowing off the carrier's stern, showering the cruiser's topsides with fragments, and killing hundreds of men. There was now no hope that Princeton could be saved. Her remaining crewmen were taken off and Irwin attempted to scuttle her with torpedoes and gunfire, but with no success. Finally, Reno was called in to finish the job. One of her torpedoes hit near the burning ship's forward bomb magazine and USS Princeton disappeared in a tremendous explosion.

Princeton was the first U.S. fleet carrier sunk in more than two years, and the last lost during the Pacific War. However, her ordeal by fire would be repeated several times during the six months, as the U.S. Navy closed in on an increasingly desperate Japan.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

On Tuesday, September 27th at 10:30 AM, at the State House, Marilee Kenney Hunt will be one of ten recipients of the 2011 Kuehn Award, honoring the heroes of the first decade of the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

The Robert Kuehn Community Preservation Awards were developed to honor the memory and work of Bob Kuehn. Bob, a tireless advocate for affordable housing, was actively involved in the process of drafting and passing the CPA, signed into law in the fall of 2000. Bob was also one of the founders and main supporters of the Community Preservation Coalition, and served as Vice Chair of its Steering Committee until his death in June of 2006.

Since 2006 Marilee Kenney Hunt has been the Citizen at Large and Chairperson of Bridgewater’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC).I have personally witnessed her leadership on that Committee when I served as its Administrative Assistant and as citizens of Bridgewater, we have all benefited from the fruits of the Committee’s labor with Marilee Kenney Hunt at its helm.

The CPC members are appointed by State statute, as a result of each of their roles on other committees or boards within Bridgewater.One might say forming a committee in such a way could have been a recipe for disaster; as the parties are not necessarily brought together with the same passion, vision or insight that might otherwise evolve from a volunteer committee.It is due primarily to Marilee’s incredible leadership skills, always thoughtful process and unending dedication to the CPC and the CPA itself that the Committee is not only functioning well but thriving.Marilee immersed herself in all the regulations, twists and turns and general confusion that the CPA presented and in five short years has created a viable vehicle with all the processes in place to effectively manage the CPA funds.

There are varied opinions about the CPA’s effectiveness, purpose, implementation, funding, role within a community and role of its members.In fact the Act itself is written in such a way so as to provide the various communities that sign onto it the ability to mold their committees to meet the needs of their own communities.Whatever your opinion might have been prior to Bridgewater signing this Act into law, one cannot deny the acumen with which the Committee has acted on behalf of the Town in its fiduciary responsibilities; its foresight; implementation of the act; and its professionalism during its infancy.Inmy personalopinion, this Committee would have ceased to function long ago if not for Marilee Kenney Hunt and the astute way she has lead the CPC and dealt with the myriad of obstacles the Committee has faced.

Since the CPA’s passage in Bridgewater, the CPC has been responsible for funding $1,474,390 worth of projects throughout Bridgewater that, given the economy and the current state of our Town, would never have come to fruition otherwise.Roughly $1,000,000 of those funds have gone to Historic Restoration for projects such as restoring the Town Hall and some areas of the Academy Building; installing an HVAC system in the Library to protect historic documents; assuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the Academy Building restrooms; binding and restoring the vital town records from 1656 to 1956; and replacing the fence around the Mt. Prospect Cemetery.The balance of the funds have gone to Open Space, Recreation, Affordable Housing and administration surrounding such projects as the Girl’s Softball fields; replacing a roof on the Scotland Congregational Church; and hiring a Preservation Planner and Grant Writer to enhance the CPA goals and objectives; a position that Marilee advocated for personally for many years. That Preservation Planner and Grant Writer has in turn been responsible for negotiating savings or cash that total just short of another $1,000,000.

We are all very lucky to have Marilee Kenney Hunt’s intelligence, dedication, passion and incredible management and people skills working for Bridgewater’s CPA.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The New England Sculptors Associa­tion is sponsoring a major exhibition at Bridgewater State University’s Maxwell Library featuring 60 works in bronze, marble, wood, plaster, alumi­num, clay, paper, alabaster, mixed me­dia and found objects of sculptors from throughout New England.

The Children’s Room of the Bridgewater Public Library will hold a Lego Club program for children age 6 and older on Monday, October 3rd at 4:30p.m. The library will supply the blocks --- children should bring their imagination and creative building skills. All creations will be displayed at the library until the next meeting.

Registration is required. To register, drop by the Children’s Room or call 508-697-3331 beginning Monday, September 26th.

The library is located at 15 South Street and is open the following hours: Monday – Wednesday 9a.m.-8p.m.; Thursday 9a.m.-6p.m.; Friday 9a.m.-5p.m.; Saturday 10a.m.-2p.m.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Trustees of the Bridgewater Public Library are pleased to welcome two new board members, Bill Rivers and Pamela Hayes-Bohanan.

Bill is a stay at home dad with two children, Liam and Cate. He is a former member and chairman of the Bridgewater Advisory Board and is currently the chairman of the Bridgewater Republican Town Committee.

When asked about his reasons for running for Library Trustee, Bill responded, "I decided to run for library trustee because I was concerned that the library was not expending its funds in the most efficient way possible. The local library is an important part of a community, and I wanted to work to see it open more hours, offer more programming and achieve re-certification. Additionally, I want my children to have the resource of a robust library in their community just as I had when I was growing up. I am honored to have been elected and have this opportunity to be a part of the future of our library."

Pamela has been a reference librarian at the Maxwell Library, Bridgewater State University, for fourteen years. Previously she worked at the public library in McAllen, Texas.

When asked about her reasons for becoming a library trustee, Pam told this story, "One of the first things I did when I moved to Bridgewater was to get a library card. When my daughter was born we took full advantage of the children’s programs and storytimes offered. She got her first library card from Mrs. Doherty, former Children’s Librarian, when she was four years old. Her reaction when the library was severely cut back in 2007 was to ask, “Why don’t we just move?” because she could not imagine living in a town without a library. I understood her sentiment, and I also believe a person always has choices. We could leave Bridgewater, or stay and try to make it better. I chose the latter."

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Team Massachusetts, a Bridgewater organization supporting Massachusetts soldiers, is seeking vendors, crafters and small businesses to join us for our Fall Holiday Fair. The fair will be held on November 19th from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society on Broad St. Spaces are renting for $30. For more info and registration form please e-mail teammass@aol.com. 100% of proceeds will be used for holiday care packages for deployed soldiers from Massachusetts.

Monetary donations can be made To Team Massachusetts at any Rockland Trust.

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About Around the Common

This blog is dedicated to everything Bridgewater, Massachusetts is all about. It will serve as an online vehicle to convey news, opinions , events and thoughts relative to Bridgewater. It is meant to connect Bridgewater residents, businesses and friends in an online forum. Contact me at aroundthecommon [at] gmail.com